


Dreams of Lacunas and Overrated Memes

by romanticizingchemicals



Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Petekey - Fandom
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-13
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-08-22 03:37:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8271199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romanticizingchemicals/pseuds/romanticizingchemicals
Summary: Pete works as a traffic guard in a busy city. Gifted with a photographic memory, Pete can remember the faces of every commuter that crosses paths with him. An angry driver almost runs into him one day, and Pete can't seem to forget his face.





	1. Chapter 1

"Is there a reason why my alarm clock went off thirty minutes early or...?" Pete interrogated his friend Brendon, who had been crashing at his place for a few weeks. Brendon's apartment complex was bought by some big-time insurance company, so after a long week of complaining and more swearing than Pete had heard in very heavy traffic, Brendon had just decided to stay at Pete's until he could find a new place to stay. Brendon, who was laying on the couch, gazed up at Pete with heavy eyes. "Your cock what?" he mumbled, and Pete grunted angrily. He was tired as hell and mad that he was awake so early. 

 

Instead of getting even more irritated with Brendon, he stormed to the kitchen to grab a Pop Tart and some orange juice. He had a long day of traffic directing ahead of him, and it had already gotten off to a bad start. "Brendon, I know that you set my alarm for this ungodly hour, so get the fuck up and get ready for work," Pete called, and Brendon's reply was a snort and a trip to the bathroom. Pete shook his head and opened his breakfast, taking a large bite out of it. His mouth was incredibly dry, so the food was tasteless and got stuck in his throat. 

 

Needless to say, Pete hated life at that moment.

 

Since he didn't have anything to do around the house, he crashed onto the couch and turned on the television. Pete noticed the wet spots on his couch and realized that Brendon had been drooling again. "God, ew," he said in disgust, scooting away from the puddles and paying attention to SpongeBob. 

 

Brendon returned with a can of beer in hand, and Pete have him a look. "Umm, it's five in the morning and your choice of beverage is beer?" he asked uneasily, and Brendon shrugged, sitting beside him. "Eh. Just a can, I don't even get a buzz. It wakes me up," he replied, opening the beer and taking a sip, "Besides, you're watching SpongeBob. Don't talk about stupid choices." Pete rolled his eyes and leaned back, wishing for sleep and a short work day. 

 

After two episodes, Pete stood up to get dressed, sliding on his bright orange traffic vest and grabbing his whistle. He looked in the mirror and sighed. "Still looking fly as hell Peter, but you're still single as hell too." 

 

When he returned to the couch, Brendon had fallen asleep again, his beer can empty and on the floor. Pete punched Brendon in the stomach and grabbed his phone, and then began walking out the door. "Brendon, get up or you'll be late," he called, and then left the house. The weather was dismal, as it usually was in Rochester. Clouds blanketed the city, and the heavy stench of garbage and gas contaminated the air. "Just another perk of living in New York," Pete mumbled to himself in his best northern accent, unlocking his car and getting in. 

 

He only worked a few minutes away, but he had to check in every morning. After driving to his workplace, only having to exchange conversation with one person, he left his car in the parking lot and took the sidewalk to his road. He called it his road because he always worked there, but he knew that it wasn't actually his. He wouldn't want to be its owner anyways; there was trash everywhere and the place smelled like death. Pete took the crosswalk to the middle of the road, held up his hand, placed his whistle in his mouth, and watched as the guy who was directing traffic before him walked away briskly. 

 

"And so my day begins," Pete said through his whistle, blowing it and waving at the cars in front of him.

 

-

 

It was about noon, and traffic was extremely heavy. Pete hated times like this, and reminded himself that if he jumped in front of a car, he could end his suffering. 

 

Pete got into his traffic directing zone, as he called it, where he'd become an emotionless robot and direct traffic like it was routine. He did this until a car nearly ran into him, causing him to blow his whistle several times and falling backwards onto the road. Cars from all angles nearly hit the car that had almost ran into Pete. "Holy shit man!" Pete screamed, struggling to his feet and wiping asphalt off of his favorite jeans, "Are you blind?" The driver of the car that almost hit him had his window down, and his head was sticking out of it. Pete gazed at him for a bit, committing his face to memory, and then grunted.

 

"Well I'm sorry that I couldn't see you, Tiny Tim, but I'm kind of in a big rush and it was my lane's turn to go!" the driver screamed back, and the sound of honking filled the air. Pete grew red and blew his whistle, glaring at the man. He spit his whistle back out and yelled, "Don't talk to me like that, you probably couldn't even see me! Why were you going so fast anyways? Just pay attention and do me a favor. Don't be such a dick!" The driver adjusted his glasses and scoffed. "Just because you have one doesn't mean you have to be one," he retorted, trying to drive around Pete.

 

However, Pete stopped him again and stood as tall as he could to reach the car's window. "If I were you, I'd watch your mouth. I know people high up there on the chain that would get your ass fined," he spat, and the driver smirked. "All I heard was 'fine' and 'ass,' so I'm flattered. You have a fine ass as well sir. Good day," he replied, and then drove away. 

 

Pete looked after the car and squinted at its license. _F062007_. He smiled to himself, suddenly a bit happier. The man in the car was extremely good looking, and had also complimented Pete's butt. That had made his day.

 

-

 

Pete came back a bit later than usual, an unfamiliar smile on his face. Brendon, who was setting out the dinner he had picked up, saw this and grew concerned. "Dude, why are you smiling so much? You look like that one kid in the corner of the classroom that has finally figured out a way to shoot up the school. What made Little Emo so happy?" Pete chuckled and unwrapped a burger Brendon had gotten for him, and said, "Oh, nothing. Just a good day at work."

 

Brendon laughed. "You call almost getting hit by a car good? Ryan was in traffic around where you work I guess and he saw what happened. Told me about it when he finally showed up to work," he replied, rolling his eyes, "He's always late. It's like he doesn't wake up until noon, and then takes his sweet time getting ready. He doesn't even get in trouble for it!" Brendon worked at Hobby Lobby, and he loved it. He wasn't bad at art, but he wasn't necessarily good either. Pete didn't care about Ryan, but nodded like he was interested. He kept repeating the license plate number to himself over and over again, planning on making a stop at the DMV the next morning. He liked the guy, even though he was totally an asshole and Pete was stupid to fall for a guy he had just screamed at through a car window.

 

"But Ryan said you and him yelled a lot. Him like the guy in the car. What'd he say?" Brendon asked, and Pete smiled. "He said I had a nice ass. Well, like, after he yelled about me being short," he recalled, and Brendon cooed. "Someone's got a boyfriend, someone's got a boyfriend!" he yelled, shoving Pete. Yes, Pete was gay as fuck. But being gay is a-okay, and Brendon and all of Pete's friends were totally okay with his sexuality. 

 

Pete spent the rest of the night in a good mood, surprisingly, and went to sleep happy for once. "He liked your ass, you have class, uh, smell some grass," Pete hummed to himself, remembering the driver's face. 

 

He was being very stupid, enjoying the face of a guy he had just met and knew nothing about. But that was fine with him, as long as it made him happy and gave him a sliver of hope that he wouldn't be single forever. Besides, it was 2004, and he was a lonely prick.


	2. Chapter 2

Pete woke up the next day to a surprising text message from work: he had been given the day off so that the company could train a new traffic guard. He smiled to himself and went back to sleep, because he wasn't waking up so early if he didn't need to. 

 

Even though he only slept for two more hours, Pete didn't feel rushed to wake up. The DMV was open all day, and he could make a trip whenever he felt the need. Brendon also had the day off, since he only worked every other day. _Maybe we can walk around town, who knows_ , Pete thought as he rolled out of bed, pulling the covers back neatly and taking his phone off of the charger. He stretched a little and then made his way to the kitchen, pouring himself his morning glass of orange juice and grabbing a muffin from the refrigerator. To his surprise, Brendon was already awake, and came walking into the kitchen looking well-groomed and happy.

 

"You look decent for once," Pete teased, sipping from his glass. Brendon rolled his eyes and yawned. "You're one to be talking. I was thinking that after we go to the DMV, you can do some poking around and get yourself a decent wardrobe. No one's gonna fall for you with clothes like that," he replied, gesturing to Pete's pajamas, which consisted of some faded blue sweater and his boxers. 

 

Pete shook his head and took a bite of muffin. "Nah. I'm not getting new clothes. These are already the best, not gonna lie. But I would like to walk around town, if you want to too," he mused, and Brendon shrugged. "Eh, I guess, but I have a date at five so we have all day," he responded, rummaging through the pantry to find something for breakfast. Pete wiggled his eyebrows and cooed. "Sarah and you are getting pretty serious, huh?" he suggested, and Brendon shrugged. "We haven't moved past cutesy nicknames and hand-holding," he said sadly, and his cheeks turned a bright shade of red that Pete had never seen on him before. Pete burst out laughing and set down his food. 

 

"That's s-so sad!" he choked out in between gales of laughter, shaking his head. "You've been dating for four months man, make a move!" Pete abandoned his breakfast and retreated to his bedroom to get dressed. He pulled on a hoodie and some jeans. Usually, he wore shorts, but it was a special occasion. 

 

Once he had finished getting ready, which included his 16-year-old application process of eyeliner, Pete and Brendon decided to go get some coffee and then walk around town for a bit.

 

"So, last night, I went out with some dudes from work, and we went to this Chinese place down the road. It's a noodle shop, I don't know, but it sounds hella good and I wanna go there for lunch," Brendon stated as the two approached one of the many Starbucks located around town. Pete shrugged in compliance, opening the door. "I suppose that's a good plan. Around noon?" he asked, checking his watch. _10:32_. Brendon nodded and stepped into Starbucks, staring at the busy line. "It's so hard being a basic white bitch," he whined, pouting at Pete.

 

Pete laughed and looked around the room, hoping that maybe he'd see Angry Driver Guy, but he wasn't there. A little disappointed, Pete stepped forward as the line moved. Brendon was ranting about something, but Pete wasn't listening, as usual. He wasn't paying attention to anything actually. After a while, it was his turn in line, so Brendon stepped up next to him at the counter and leaned over it. He looked at the barista with his most seductive face. Pete was extremely embarrassed by his best friend and opened his mouth to give his order, but Brendon interrupted.

 

"If you were a coffee, you'd be espresso, 'cause you're hella fine," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. The barista smiled and rolled his eyes. "Brendon, you're not getting free coffee. No matter how many times you try to seduce me into it, your coffee will always be overpriced and mediocre," he replied, picking up a cup and writing down Brendon's usual. Pete looked confusedly between the two men, and realized that this was one of the guys Brendon had over a lot. "Is this Gerard?" he asked, and Brendon nodded. "Yep. Barista babe with good hair," he tried one last time, and Gerard stuck his tongue out. "You and I both know your girlfriend wouldn't like this flirting session, but we could take it to your place and maybe..." he teased, and Brendon scoffed. "You wish, now get me some coffee," he said, and Gerard passed the cup to one of the other baristas. "So this is Pete," he said, smiling, "I've heard a lot about you. And my gosh you _do_ have a cute nose." 

 

Brendon chuckled and winked at Pete, walking away to wait for his coffee. Pete blushed and made a mental note to beat the shit out of Brendon later. "Why thank you. Your hair _is_ fantastic," he replied, admiring Gerard's flaming red hair. Gerard smiled and asked Pete for his order, which was a vanilla latte with two extra shots. As usual. 

 

Pete paid for the two drinks and thanked Gerard, suggesting that the three of them hang out soon. Gee agreed and Pete joined Brendon at a tall table. "See, Gerard's not a bad looking guy. You could date him and not that asshole driver," he pointed out, and then added, "But someone already snatched him up. It's a good thing he did too, because Gerard is pretty as fuck and Frank's good for him. Wouldn't want some creep tricking Gee into anything." Pete shrugged and heard their names called, so he went to grab the drinks and returned to the table. "He is a fine guy, but not my type. Too cheery," he said, passing Brendon his drink.

 

"He isn't like that all the time. He just really likes his job and he stays positive for his brother. Besides, he recently recovered from a sever issue with alcoholism," Brendon said in an undertone, sipping from his cup. Pete nodded and replied, "That's good. And I can imagine him having a brother, he seems like just the type." All of a sudden, Pete remembered the face of the driver, and then looked back at Gerard. Brendon noticed and squinted at Pete. "What? That's not a good face you just made. I know that face and it's not a good one," he said. Pete shook his head and sipped his coffee. "No, it's nothing. I just thought I left my card over there for a second," he lied, realizing that the driver looked an awful lot like Gerard.

 

No, the driver wasn't Gee, but he had a face shape very similar to his. Though Gerard was a little chubbier than the driver, they still looked alike.

 

Brendon shot him a suspicious look, but didn't ask anymore questions. "Okay then... Hey, let's go to the kitchen supply store place and get some new plates. I, umm... I might've broken all of the other ones reaching for a glass," he admitted, and Pete grunted irritably. "Really man? Those are the plates they used at my great-great-great-great-grandmother's funeral," he joked, and Brendon chuckled. 

 

"Oh shut up."

 

- 

 

The trip to the store was short and painless, and surprisingly worth it. Pete loved kitchenware. He was obsessed with it. He loved having matching plates and vibrantly-colored knives and colorful cups. He may have been a sucker for the color black, but his kitchen was a plethora of colors. 

 

"Look at these!" he squealed upon finding a set of animal cups. One had a snout and a pig tale, and another had a dog nose. Brendon rolled his eyes at his friend's immaturity and picked up a set of plates identical to the ones that he had broken. "Here," he said, shoving the plates at Pete. But Pete shook his head and walked away to look at some other plates. "Those ones are boring. I like these," he said, pointing to a set of planet plates. Brendon shook his head and picked up some pastel blue plates. "These are nice," he suggested, but Pete disagreed. "I don't like those, they won't match my cups," he retorted, and Brendon raised his eyebrows. "Your cups are made out of glass Pete!" 

 

Then, Pete found a set of plates with gray geometric patterns on the rims. "I like these the most. They're modern and they'll go well with my silverware. I need a new rolling pin though, so I'll be right back," he said, picking up the box and wandering over to the utensil wall. He found a gray rolling pin that matched the plates in color and brought the items to the front. The lady at the register have him a dull look, and looked from the plates to Pete. "Will this be all?" she asked, and Pete nodded. "Yep. My friend broke my plates and I need a new rolling pin so... I'm ready to check out." The lady continued staring blankly at Pete, but checked out his items and put them in a bag. 

 

"Umm, where's Dallon? He usually is here when I come by..." Pete asked, and the lady sighed loudly. "He got fired last Friday. Messed up one too many times," she replied, tapping the counter irritably. Pete furrowed his brows, confused as to why Dallon hadn't hit him up yet. "Huh... Okay," he said, and swiped his card. Brendon soon joined him and looked at the lady, then at her name tag. "Oh, Debora? You're Sarah's friend!" he said with a  smile, and Debora looked up at him. "Yeah. And you're Brendon," she said in the same monotone voice, handing Pete his bag, "I've heard enough about you. Have a good day." 

 

Brendon beamed and tipped an imaginary fedora. "M'Pete," he said as they left the store and he opened the door, and Pete chortled. "Oh God, please don't. That meme is disgustingly popular and I don't like it," he said, his preference for underground memes apparent in the way he looked at Brendon. They laughed and made their way down the street.

 

"I wanna go to the phone accessory store. I need a new case," Brendon stated, taking out his phone and showing Pete the case. It was cracked and broken, so Pete agreed and led the way to the phone accessory store. "Do you want a hard case or a soft case?" he asked, and Brendon opened the door. "I don't care. I just don't want it to break like this piece of shit," he replied, and Pete followed him into the store.

 

"Honestly man, do you even need a phone case?" Pete asked, spotting the cashier and deciding that the guy was high. Brendon sighed loudly and looked at Pete. "Yes Pete, do you need to wait outside?" he asked stupidly, and went to the iPhone case rack. Pete puffed and shrugged, and then went to stand outside. A bit later, Brendon had decided on a plain blue phone case. "It matches my aesthetic," he explained, gesturing to his blue shirt. Pete squinted at him, but just rolled with it.

 

The two decided to visit the antique shop down the road. There, Pete found a small glass deer, and Brendon found a twin set of old wine glasses. They hauled their purchases to the noodle shop. After about twenty-six wrong turns, they made it. "See, this is why you should've taken me here earlier. You sure as hell can't do directions," Pete muttered, opening the door for his friend. Brendon stuck out his tongue and entered the restaurant, taking in a breath of noodle. 

 

"It smells heavenly," Pete whispered behind him, and they took a seat in a small booth. They set their items beneath the table, and Pete looked around. "This is nice!" he exclaimed, surprised that Brendon had chosen such a nice joint, "Nice seating, good lighting, happy people -" He stopped mid-sentence, and began turning a bright shade of red. "Brendon..." Pete gasped, and Brendon looked at him. "Huh?" he asked, and realized that Pete was pretty much a tomato at this point. 

 

"What are you -" Brendon asked, following Pete's gaze. Suddenly, Pete pulled Brendon underneath the table. "That's the guy!" he whispered feverishly, rubbing his palms on his pants. Brendon furrowed his brows. "Who?  What?" he asked, and Pete sighed irritably. "The angry driver guy!" he explained, and Brendon let out a noise of realization. He then sat up and called, "Hey, dude!" Pete's eyes widened and he pulled Brendon back down. "Dude! Are you fucking kidding me? No! I can't do this!" Pete nearly screamed, and Brendon chuckled. "You're so cute when you're nervous. Come on, where's the flirtatious, confident Pete I know?" he asked, sitting back up.

 

Pete took a deep breath and sat back up. The guy was sitting across the aisle in another booth, but by himself. He was squinting at Brendon. "What?" he asked, confused. The man decided to move over to their booth, and looked at Brendon, and something like recognition played across his face. "Brendon?" he asked, and Brendon's eyes widened. "Mikey! Hey man!" he cried, pulling in Mikey for a hug. Pete awkwardly crossed his legs, but smiled politely nonetheless. 

 

"You didn't tell me it was _Mikey_ that called your ass fine!" Brendon said gleefully, laughing. Mikey looked at Pete and smirked, winking. "And it's still true. I'm sorry about getting all angry at you. I'm a really angry driver to be honest," he apologized, and Pete shrugged. "Man, I'm used to it. People nearly hit me all the time... It's not every day a hot person nearly hits you so it was a good day for me," he replied, proud of himself. Mikey chuckled and looked back at Brendon. "But man, you've changed! New haircut, longer face... Big forehead, as usual," he joked, and Brendon mocked laughter. "Ha ha ha, so original. So have you! New haircut, new glasses, skinny as a stick." 

 

Suddenly, the waiter came by and asked the three what they wanted to drink. Pete ordered water, and Brendon ordered lemonade. Mikey asked for coffee, even though it was noon. "You and your brother share the same love of coffee, that hasn't changed," Brendon observed, and Mikey nodded. "Coffee is love, coffee is life. Can't deny it," he agreed, and the three continued a normal conversation. They talked about their jobs mostly, and Brendon and Mikey talked about why it had been so long.

 

Shortly after, the waiter came back with their drinks, asking for their orders. After placing their orders, they picked back up on their conversation. 

 

"Yeah, I work at Best Buy. Worst job in the world. The customers treat me like shit, the staff treats me like shit... And the hours are crazy," Mikey complained, shaking his head. Pete nodded. "You and Brendon are a lot alike. Both of you are the biggest complainers I've ever seen," he stated, and Mikey shook his head. "No, no. I'm nothing like him. I don't gossip about my co-worker behind his back," he said, glaring at Brendon. Brendon set down his glass and grunted. "Dude, it's not my fault! It's like it goes through my ear and out my mouth! Besides, that was hella juicy. What was it you said to Gerard... 'I don't know why they named me Michael Way, Gee. It should've just been Michael Gay, it's a much nicer name and easier to write.' And then you started crying. You were drunk off your ass that day," he said defensively, shaking his head.

 

Pete realized that Mikey and Gerard were brothers, which made sense. The face structure, the love for coffee, flawless flirting skills... "Well, it's true. Being named Mikey Gay would make coming out so much easier," Mikey pointed out, and Pete laughed. Brendon saw this as a perfect opportunity to set the two up. "You know who else is single, gay, and a total dork? Pete. Wow, hey, you two are perfect for each other!" he exclaimed, smiling. Mikey raised his eyebrows at Pete, who coughed pointedly and kicked Brendon's leg underneath the table.

 

"Oh... So you two aren't...?" Mikey asked, confused. His answer was Brendon's laughter and Pete's flustered repetition of "no." Mikey chuckled and shrugged. "Yeah, I wouldn't expect Pete to stoop so low. He seems like more of faithful, committed guy. Unlike you," he said to Brendon, who pouted. "Not true! I'm in a committed relationship."

 

Pete snorted. "Committed my ass, Brendon, you haven't even touched her," he retorted, and Brendon fumed, "I have! I've held her hand... Point is, we've been dating for almost half a year and it's steady." Mikey and Pete laughed loudly and Brendon turned red. Moments later, their food arrived at the table, and they began eating. 

 

"I'm surprised that you chose such a nice place to eat, honestly. Your idea of a good time is a strip club and twenty bottles of beer," Pete commented through a mouthful of noodles. Brendon rolled his eyes and continued shoving food into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days. "Whatever man. You're eating, I'm paying, so shut up," he replied, and Mikey shook his head. "No, I'll pay. For Pete, at least," he offered, and winked at Pete. Brendon made a disgusted noise and shrugged. "Okay, whatever. You two should just go on a date already, I'll send you his number," he told Mikey, finishing his lunch faster than the other two could. 

 

Brendon left a ten dollar bill and slid out of the booth. "I have to go get some flowers and make sure the reservation is still booked. You two losers have fun," he said, and then, to Pete, "Give him a slice of that 'fine ass,' if you know what I mean. See you later." With that, Brendon left the restaurant, leaving Pete and Mikey to talk and eat. It was awkward at first, but after a while, Pete and Mikey started talking about their personal lives. 

 

"So you have to live with that doofus?" Mikey asked, amused when Pete nodded tiredly. "Oh yeah. He's pretty much an alcoholic at this point. You had to work with him?" Mikey nodded and took a sip of coffee. "Yeah, for a while. In high school, Gerard made me work with him at Barnes and Noble, and Brendon just so happened to be working there too. Thankfully, Gerard quit, and so did I. Brendon was fired because he had slept with the boss of the store, and the boss nearly called the cops on him when asked about the situation by Brendon's co-workers. It was funny, honestly," he laughed, and so did Pete. 

 

The two talked for hours, finding happiness in each other's company. They really did hit it off, and they had a good time. They didn't leave until the owner of the noodle shop kicked them out. After paying, they left, and parted ways at the door. "Here's my number," Mikey said before he took off, handing Pete a napkin he had written his number on, "Hit me up. We could, uh, hang out some time." He winked and wiggled his eyebrows, and then walked in the opposite direction of where Pete was going. 

 

Feeling warm and happy, Pete looked down at the number on the napkin. He immediately plugged it into his phone, and, remembering the taste in stupid food-related puns Gerard had, texted Mikey right away.

 

**if you were a pasta, you'd be capellini, bc you're so fine ;)**

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uMM THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE POSITIVE FEEDBACK?? THAT WAS UNEXPECTED TYSM IT MADE MY DAY :')
> 
> xofaith
> 
> ps I had this chapter written so well like 11/10 and then ao3 deleted it so enjoy this shitty shit shit


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Pete had gotten home, he and Mikey had sent each other thirty-six texts each. Pete had even made sure to take his sweet time getting home. 

 

When Pete entered his apartment, he saw Brendon in the kitchen pouring himself a glass of water. "Date go well?" Brendon and Pete asked at the same time, to which Pete scoffed and Brendon shrugged. "Just another date I guess. I'm getting the feeling that she just isn't as into me as I am into her," he sighed, and Pete set down his bag of junk he had bought with Brendon. "I'm sorry about that man," Pete replied sincerely, rubbing Brendon's shoulder soothingly and placing his other hand in his pocket. 

 

"What makes you think that she's losing interest though?" he asked, and Brendon took a sip of water. "Man, I'm not sure. Maybe she was having an off day. She just didn't seem very enthusiastic, she didn't hug me goodbye, didn't use any cutesy nicknames..." he drawled, and shook his head, as though he hoped for the memories of his date to fall out of his ears, "Just wasn't as fun as I remembered it being. But hey, how was Mikey? You two are both sarcastic and witty and shit, bet you two have a compatibility of over like a thousand." Pete chuckled and shrugged, not so sure that he could consider the lunch a date. "It wasn't exactly a date, B. Mikey's really sweet and yeah okay I like him, but I don't wanna move things so fast," he replied, and in that moment, Ryan emerged from the bathroom and caught sight of Pete.

 

Brendon finished his water and set the cup back down. "I hope you don't mind. I invited my boy Ryan over," he said sarcastically, and Pete rolled his eyes. "You know how I am. As long as prostitutes aren't in my house and you don't bring murderers in, I'm fine. Besides, you never ask permission to invite Ry over. He's over like every day." Ryan chuckled and joined the two in the kitchen, picking up Pete's bag. "What did you buy, Peter?" he asked, fishing the plates from the bag. 

 

Ryan was Brendon's best friend. Pete was his best friend as well, but Ryan made sure that he and Brendon were friends on a more emotional level than Brendon and Pete. Since Pete knew Ryan's motives, he tried his best not to let emotion truly trickle into his friendship with Brendon. Sure, they had deep conversations, but Pete and Brendon were more foolish and sarcastic than touchy-feely. Ryan was the one that always went with Brendon to bars, but he wouldn't drink. He went just to keep Brendon in line, and to drive him home. When Brendon cried, Ryan was the one there with tissues and an open mind. When Brendon had a family problem or wanted to share ideas and feelings, Ryan was the guy he came to. Pete definitely encouraged Ryan's presence, whether it was necessary or not. 

 

"Plates, because he's a total nerd," Brendon teased, and Pete coughed. "Uh, I'm not a nerd," he said, and the air was pierced by the shrill sound of his annoying bird ringtone. "Please change that thing," Brendon implored, but Pete became indulged in his phone and paid no attention to the two men in his kitchen. 

 

**you're the stupid one. then again, stupid plus smart (me) equals slightly above average, yea?**

 

Pete rolled his eyes and quickly texted him back.

 

**are you high or do you always talk like a prophet**

 

After sending the text, Pete placed his phone on the counter and looked up at Brendon and Ryan, who both had smug looks on their face. "What?" Pete asked, growing concerned as the look on their faces grew even more smug. "Oh nothing. It's just, I have Mikey's number. I may have, uh, sent a few things. With Ryan's help, of course," Brendon admitted, giggling and leaning on Ryan. Pete fumed angrily. "Dude, stay out of my love life, okay? Like honestly, I know how to pick up guys," he replied, and Ryan shrugged. 

 

"They don't call me 'Relationship Ryan' for no reason. I'm always setting my friends up with people they're into, people that are into them... I mean, I did introduce Sarah and Brendon. Even though I regret it now, I'm glad at least one of the two is happy," Ryan claimed, though a tint of sadness crawled into his dialogue. Brendon didn't pick up on it, but Pete did, and he eyed Ryan suspiciously. 

 

Pete's phone rang again, but Brendon grabbed it before Pete could. He unlocked his phone and quickly read a few of Pete and Mikey's texts. "You two are so weird," he said blandly, and his thumbs flew across the keyboard. Pete's eyes flew to his phone, and he made a grab for it. "Don't say anything stupid," he said irritably, and Brendon stuck his tongue out. "Can't... make... any... promises..." Brendon said as he typed, and when he hit sent the text, Pete snatched the phone back and read what Brendon had said. 

 

**mikey: high off life baby. anyways, what are u doing this weekend**

**pete: since I have no life, I'm not doing anything. I was gonna ask you out again, but like on a date. nothing fancy since I'm broke, but something nice**

 

Pete scowled at Brendon but decided not to text Mikey again, explaining that Brendon had taken his phone and texted him. "Really? You're childish," was all Pete could manage, and Ryan gasped. "Brendon? Childish? Never!" The three chuckled lightly and talked about their days.

 

"As you know, Sarah has been acting whack lately. Just not into me like she used to be, you feel?" Brendon directed towards Ryan, who nodded understandingly. "Oh yeah. I mean, girls are really tricky. Maybe she's going through a rough time? I dunno, she just shouldn't be projecting her negative feelings onto you. It's disrespectful and it's hurting you," Ryan sympathized, and Pete sighed. Even if he wanted to connect with Brendon on the same emotional level that Ryan did, he couldn't. Pete just wasn't that way with Brendon, and he never could be. Besides, different friends were for different purposes, right? Sarah was there so that Brendon could say he was in a relationship and so that he could have that hope in his life. Pete was his source of living and also provided comic relief. Ryan? Ryan was something else. He gave every inch of his being to Brendon, and expected absolutely nothing in return. 

 

"What about you, Ryan? I feel like it's been a while since we've talked about you," Pete interjected, and both Brendon and Ryan looked at him in surprise. After a moment of hesitation, Ryan replied, "Oh, uh... Well, I'm still single. Have been for some time. I mean, this girl at worked tried to get with all of this," he gestured to his body, and Brendon smirked, "but I wasn't really interested. Girl needs to find a better hairdresser to be honest." Pete nodded, and added, "Anyone you got your eyes on? I mean, here me and Brendon are talking about relationships, and you don't even talk about your own love life that often." Ryan went red for a split second, and Pete could've sworn he saw Ryan's gaze shift towards Brendon. "Me? Nah. I'm, uh, not into that lifestyle. Single and, yeah, single." 

 

Pete felt bad for Ryan. He was a really good looking guy, and he'd probably date him if Ryan came out and said he'd be interested, but he knew it wasn't right. Ryan liked Brendon, and Pete had just realized that the moment they began talking about relationships. It was too obvious. 

 

Pete made eye contact with Ryan for a few seconds, and then his phone rang. "What'd he say?" Brendon asked excitedly, and Pete read the text aloud. 

 

"'I'm free too, since I also have no life and nothing to do. Except for you, winky face,'" Pete's face grew read and he coughed, "'I'd totally be down for a date. Just let me know when and where you wanna go.' Well then..." Ryan laughed when he saw Pete's reddened face, and Brendon shook his head. "He's a huge flirt. I mean, I've seen him talk to some guys before, but never like this. I think he really likes you," he suggested, and Pete's insides twisted into a nervous knot. 

 

Ryan looked deep in thought, and then snapped his fingers. "Idea. You two could, like, go to the park. Have a picnic maybe, play some cornhole, make out under one of those big-ass oak trees. Maybe you could play chess at one of those chess tables, kick a ball around, just chat... Parks are nice. Especially in New York, where the only 'fresh' air is in tiny patches of fake grass called parks."

 

Brendon whistled, impressed. "That's more thought than I've put into any of my dates. Man, if you were my boyfriend, I'd be the luckiest dude on earth. Special dates and creativity all the time," he stated, and Ryan blushed. Pete agreed with Ryan's idea and quickly suggested it to Mikey. "Thanks man. It's cutesy," Pete remarked, and smirked at Brendon. "If you say one thing about the nicknames I swear to God Pete," Brendon warned, and Pete and Ryan laughed together. 

 

"I'm cooking dinner if anyone's hungry," Pete decided, and shoved Brendon and Ryan out of the kitchen. Brendon shook his head, but Ryan nodded. "I'm starving. Brendon, won't you please eat with me? I don't wanna be lonely," he whined obnoxiously, and Brendon caved. "I just ate though," he argued, but followed Ryan to the living room. Pete smiled and took out a large pot. He decided that he was going to make chicken pot pies.

 

His grandmother used to make it for him when he was a kid, and he would always help her when she did so. As a result, the memory of him and her making chicken pot pies was etched into his mind forever. "Bless my photographic memory," he whispered to himself as he took out a bag of frozen peas. 

 

Brendon and Ryan spoke in the living room, though they did so in hushed voices. "You really are a great friend, Ry. I don't say it often, but I'm thankful for you. Whoever put you in my life, bless them. You've really helped me and Pete out," Brendon was telling him, and Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not that great, but I guess you're welcome. I love you guys and I enjoy helping out. Besides, you two have very interesting lives." Brendon nodded and looked over at Pete, who was busy in the kitchen. 

 

"That we do."

 

After a while, Pete called Ryan into the kitchen. Brendon wasn't in the room, since he was in the bathroom, and that's why Pete wanted to talk to Ryan. "Hey. You alright?" he asked, concerned. Ryan nodded. "Yeah. Just tired I guess. Been tired for the past three months," he replied nonchalantly. Pete wasn't convinced. "Thank you, by the way. For being there for Brendon all the time," he said graciously, and Ryan shrugged. "I'm here for you too." Pete shook his head. "Not the same way you are for Brendon, but that's okay. I know why. Besides, I have other people for that. I know he doesn't give much back, but he really does appreciate you Ryan," he said seriously, and Brendon came out of the bathroom and saw them talking. 

 

"Talking about me again? I know, I'm just that great," Brendon boasted, and Pete chuckled, sending Ryan off. "Yeah, about how ugly you are," he replied sarcastically, and resumed making dinner.

 

Once he was done, Pete took out the new plates he had bought, washed them, and set them on the counter. He figured that the other two could eat at the counter as well. Pete finished dishing out food, and when he had poured some water for everyone, he called Brendon and Ryan back over to eat. 

 

They ate and made small talk here and then, but nothing really happened until there was a knock at the door. Since he was closest, Ryan got up and answered it. Because the door was around the corner and a wall hid it from the view of those in the kitchen, Pete couldn't see who it was, but heard Sarah's voice and grimaced. She never came over past five in the afternoon. 

 

"Hey guys," she said, rounding the corner. Ryan followed closely after her, glaring at Brendon. He walked past the two as they embraced, and took a place next to Pete. "Didn't know we were going to have guests," Ryan remarked quietly, and Pete shrugged. "Me neither," he replied in an undertone.

 

Sarah turned to Pete and Ryan, and suggested that they all go hang out somewhere more "appropriate." Pete scoffed at her indirect shade, but shrugged. "Not sure what's more 'appropriate' than your boyfriend's place of residence. If you need Ryan and I to go, we will." Sarah shook her head and placed a hand in the crook of Brendon's arm. "No. We could all just go hang out somewhere."

 

-

 

Since the group had decided to let Brendon decide where they'd hang out, they ended up at a nightclub. Ryan and Pete sat at a table next to the wall, watching Brendon and Sarah dance and drink. "Why did we let him choose again?" Pete asked over the deafening music, and Ryan shrugged. "Better yet, why did she just roll up in there and act like the boss of him? He knows better than to let her get the better of him. Right?" he asked bitterly, and Pete nodded. The two decided to talk about other things, like work and personal lives. "Yeah, my friend asked me to join his band. But I didn't want to," Ryan said eventually, and Pete asked him why not. "Eh, his only musical background is him being a DJ at parties. Not my type," he replied dryly, looking emptily at his glass of water. Pete wasn't drinking either, simply because he didn't have the money. Some guy had actually bought Sarah a drink, and the bartender knew Brendon, so his drink was on the house. 

 

Pete didn't look up at Ryan, but knew he was watching the dance floor. He couldn't dance for the life of him, but in the moment, Ryan really looked like he wanted to get up and dance. 

 

"Isn't it sad? Watching someone fall so deeply in love with someone else that doesn't even love them back?" Ryan asked, staring at the table once again. Pete looked up at Ryan and frowned. "I think it's sadder being the person falling in love with someone that won't love them back simply because they think they've already found love," Pete commented pointedly. Either Ryan didn't hear him or he just didn't care enough to reply, because Ryan didn't speak another word to Pete the entire time they were there.

 

He just stared sadly at his water.

 

For a moment, Pete nearly forgot about Mikey. He was so caught up in the fact that he had forgotten about how much Ryan liked Brendon, and how Brendon wouldn't ever like him back in the same way. Brendon was a fairly shallow person, and he cared too much about what people thought of him. He always forgot about the most important people in his life. 

 

Ryan and Brendon wouldn't ever be a thing, and Pete knew that in the back of Ryan's mind, he knew that. But Ryan never even suggested the idea of him and Brendon dating. He didn't ever bad-mouth the people Brendon dated, but provided so much support that it was overwhelming.

 

It made Pete seem like a puddle of kindness compared to the fucking Pacific Ocean of overflowing kindness and selflessness that was Ryan. 

 

Since Pete and Mikey were pretty much a thing, Pete didn't really know what being lonely and single was. Well, to an extent he did, but not the way Ryan knew it. Ryan would always have a place for Brendon in his heart, no matter who he dated. Thank God Pete didn't have that problem quite yet.


	4. Chapter 4

Saturday was a calm day for Pete. He had nothing to do until noon, which is when he was going to pick up Mikey from his place and take him to the park for their date. 

 

Last night had ended with Brendon staying over at Sarah's place, and Ryan had crashed at Pete's house. Since Brendon always had people over, Pete didn't mind extra heads, but Ryan wasn't just a head. Heck, his heart was probably bigger than his head. It's just, Pete had a specific routine, even when he wasn't planning on doing anything that day. He wanted to wake up to his cluttered but organized apartment, be able to make himself breakfast, and then do whatever. 

 

With Ryan, that never happened. 

 

Ryan was a perfectionist, in Pete's mind. The few times Pete had visited Ryan's small house, it was always neat and sparkling clean. Ryan said that he cleaned it whenever he got home, but tried to stay out of the house as much as possible. "Small spaces irritate me," Ryan would always say. Pete recalled the first time that he had been over to Ryan's. It was to watch some football or whatever sport was on that night, and Ryan was having some kind of party. Every snack was contained in its own bowl, and all of the bowls were the same color blue. The drink station was tidy as well, and when someone would make a mess of it, Ryan was sure to be right behind them and clean it up. Of course Brendon spilled an entire bowl of Cheetos, but Ryan quickly cleaned it up and replaced it with some popcorn. 

 

He was a real champ in Pete's eyes. 

 

It was fine when Ryan organized his house and had his routine where he lived, but when he brought it over to Pete's?

 

"RYAN, WHERE'S MY WASHCLOTH?" Pete howled from the bathroom, frantically searching for the washcloths that he always had hanging up on the shower wall. He couldn't hear Ryan's reply, so he screamed, "WHAT?" Ryan eventually ran to the bathroom door and cried back, "I PUT THEM IN THE DIRTY CLOTHES. THEY LOOKED NASTY!"

 

Pete let out an angry grunt and looked at his hands. "Don't make this weird for me. It's not weird unless you make it weird," he said to them, and proceeded to wash his body with his hands and soap. Never in his life had Pete done this, so the feeling was weird and foreign. He didn't like it at all. After angrily showering, he decided to put child safety locks on the bathroom door so that Ryan wouldn't be able to open it. "Dude, I know you have your system and stuff, but–" Pete began as he exited the bathroom, a towel wrapped tightly around his body. 

 

He was stopped mid-sentence by Ryan, who had cleaned up the living room thoroughly and was flipping through a stack of papers. "You know, you probably should keep your bills separated from these pages of counterfeited coupons to _Pizza Place_ ," Ryan said without looking up, setting a piece of paper to the side of him. Pete took a deep breath and shook his head, scurrying to his bedroom to get changed. 

 

Pete picked up his phone, which was on the counter, and checked it for texts. He had two, one of which was from Brendon. The other was from Mikey.

 

**brendon: me and sarah fucked last night. I'm taking you and Ryan to the sushi bar in celebration ok be ready by 6**

 

Pete smiled widely and nodded, quickly typing back a reply.

 

**congrats man! very proud. I'm gonna invite mikes too. and gee, if you have his number**

 

Mikey had also texted Pete.

 

**hey just wanted to remind you that we have a date at 12 k pls don't forget**

 

Pete chuckled and texted him back too.

 

**how could I? I haven't been this excited since brendon bought me a vibrator last christmas. see you at 12**

 

Pete then got dress, and took into account the weather conditions. It was actually kind of nice. For New York, of course. He actually wore a button-up, but of course he wore skinny jeans as well. Once he was happy with his outfit, Pete quickly dried off his hair and spiked it up. He actually didn't apply eyeliner that day. 

 

"B's taking us out at six. Make sure you're ready by then," Pete told Ryan as he passed him. Ryan set down the last piece of paper and picked up a stack, handing it to Pete. "Alright. Bills," he pointed to a different stack, "Fake coupons," and then gestured to another stack, "Credit card offers and Disney World deals." Pete smiled thankfully and placed the bills on the counter. "At least I don't have student loans to pay off," he said, and Ryan shrugged. "Getting an education would've been nice."

 

Pete shook his head. "Not for me. College is a scam. You can get a decent job and a decent sum of cash without it," he provided, and Ryan agreed. Pete then took a whiff of air and smelled something gross. "Is something burning?" he asked, and Ryan's eyes grew wide. "Shit," he said, and rushed to the oven. Pete peered over the counter and saw Ryan throwing oven mitts on. Ryan threw open the oven and took out a pan, placing it on top of the oven. 

 

"French toast," Ryan explained, smiling apologetically, "I'm not half the chef you are, but you've had a long week. Well, a long year. So I made this in hopes of maybe cheering you up." Pete had already eaten granola, but since Ryan had worked so hard on breakfast, he decided to eat it to make him feel better. "Mm," Pete was saying five minutes later, a dish of what looked like burnt cow organs in front of him. Ryan grinned and ate his own without complaining.

 

-

 

"And I thought I was a bad driver," Mikey remarked as Pete swerved in and out of the lanes. Pete shrugged and stopped abruptly at a stoplight. "Hey, I don't get around often. Besides, you're lucky I even drove to pick you up. I could've walked, and you would've walked too." 

 

Mikey rolled his eyes. "Oh, but you would've carried me," he teased, and Pete chortled. "Boy, you're three times my height. I'm strong as a penguin okay. Try making me hold you and see what happens," he replied, and Mikey laughed. The drive to the park wasn't a long one, but traffic was unbelievably slow. They reached the park twenty minutes later. A journey that could've taken ten minutes ended up taking thirty.

 

"Get out of my car, freeloader," Pete joked, and Mikey threw open the door. Pete locked the door and the two made their way to the park's welcome sign. 

 

"Excited for our first official date?" Pete asked, and Mikey scoffed. "As if. Besides, you're not even my boyfriend," he replied, and Pete sighed. "True. But I bet I could be if I wanted to." 

 

Mikey looked down at Pete as Pete looked up, and said, "Well would you want to?" Pete placed a hand on his chest, which was actually a mess of butterflies. "Why, Michael Way, I never! Are you asking me to be your boyfriend?" Before Mikey could reply, Pete realized that he had left the picnic stuff in the trunk. He ran back to the car to retrieve it. Mikey watched after him in anticipation. He really had just asked Pete out. Why was he going so fast? Pete probably just felt bad for him and was pretending to like him. 

 

"Sorry, I'm forgetful," Pete said as a joke, but Mikey didn't get it. Pete remembered that he hadn't told Mikey about his photographic memory yet. He waited until the two had spent half an hour walking and talking, and they were setting up their lunch. "I have a photographic memory y'know," Pete informed him, and Mikey was astounded. "Really?" he asked, flattening the blanket for them to sit on. Pete nodded and sat down, and Mikey followed suit.

 

"The day I met you, when you were in your car, I remembered your license plate number," Pete added, dumping out the lunch he had packed into a reusable grocery sack. Mikey was even more surprised. " _F062007_ ," Pete recalled, "I was going to go to the DMV and find out who owned the car. But me and Brendon met you before I could go." Mikey laughed and picked up a sandwich. "Stalker much. I just have so many fans," he said, and Pete smiled. "I'm the biggest fan though."

 

They finished their lunch and talked for some time, about their lives and families and childhoods. They played chess. Or at least tried, since neither had touched a chess piece in their lives. "Kids nowadays," an old man had complained when he caught sight of Pete and Mikey. 

 

At the end of their date, Pete checked his phone for the time. "It's five o'clock," he told Mikey as they got into the car. Mikey smiled. 

 

Pete decided that he was going to take Mikey home, since he was going to come with Pete to the sushi thing with Brendon and Ryan. 

 

"Hey. If I were to ask you out, like, as in, to be my boyfriend, what would you say?" Mikey asked as Pete unlocked the apartment door. 

 

Pete blushed and thought about it for a moment. "I'd say yeah," he said after some thought, and Mikey grinned. "Then would you, Pete Wentz, do me a favor and be my gay as fuck boyfriend?"

 

"Hell yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys hi I hope you like this bc I sure too wow so much sarcasm in this story I'm shook
> 
> anywho have a great day ok
> 
> xofaith


	5. Chapter 5

Mikey knew he had made a mistake the moment he blew that bubble. And the moment Pete poked it with his fingers was the moment when time came to a hault, and everything happened in slow motion. The bubble popped, and the pink, gooey remains of it got stuck in Mikey's hair, on his forehead, on his glasses. He gasped and tried to cover his eyes, and Pete screamed in alarm. 

 

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I'm... Oh god, we should've left for Brendon's thing five minutes ago... Jesus, today is not the day, alright? Here, come here, I... I don't own a hairdryer I'm... I don't know how to handle this situation," Pete was crying as he took Mikey's hand and led him all around the apartment in search of a solution.

 

Mikey was stuck, literally, and tried to speak. His words were muffled and his upper lip was stuck to his nose somehow. " _Ni dunno_ ," he said through the gum, but Pete didn't say anything. He just sat Mikey down on the couch and went to find Brendon's hairdryer. Needless to say, Mikey was embarrassed, but he had a solution. He stood up and scurried to the kitchen, rummaging through the drawers for some scissors. His fingers clasped around a pair, and he quickly got to work. Without a mirror, he began chopping at the pieces of hair with come in them. It wasn't easy work, but Mikey managed.

 

Ten minutes later, Pete ran into the living room with a comb and a hairdryer. "Here, I've got this–" he began, and when he caught sight of Mikey's hair, the hairdryer fell to the ground with a clatter. "MICHAEL," Pete screamed, running over to deal with his boyfriend's hair. 

 

He looked at the clock and grunted angrily. "We have ten minutes to get to the sushi bar. Ugh, I'm stupid. Get the gum off your face, come on, hurry," Pete was saying, and began dragging Mikey out the door. As Mikey picked at his face, Pete used his other hand to let Brendon know that they were on their way. Pete didn't have time to invite Gee, so he hoped that Brendon had gotten around to it. Ryan had left thirty minutes prior to pick up Brendon, since Sarah had to go out of town on a business trip. 

 

"Get in the car, Mikes," Pete said as soon as they got outside, rushing to the car. He let go of Mikey's hand, and the two climbed into the car. "Sorry," Mikey said, finally gum-free, "I can't be trusted with gum." The two eventually began laughing about the whole situation and its inconvenient timing, and they were on their way to the sushi bar to congratulate Brendon on taking the next next _next_ step with Sarah.

 

-

 

Brendon had remembered to invite Gerard, along with some other people that Pete didn't know. He soon came to learn their names and remembered their faces easily. 

 

"This is Patrick," Brendon said, pointing to a chubby guy with a baseball cap on. "Spencer" was one of Ryan's friends, but Brendon had apparently worked with him at some point. "Jon" was another of Brendon's friends, and Dallon was there too. "Dude, why didn't you tell me that you lost your job?" Pete inquired when he approached Dallon, who simply shrugged. "I have my friend Andy. He doesn't have to drag around that thing," he supplied, pointing to Brendon. 

 

Mikey and Pete told Gerard about their new relationship, and they both got to meet Frank. Well, Mikey knew Frank, but Pete got to meet him. "Short buddies, nice," Frank greeted Pete, who huffed but accepted Frank's fist bump. "Don't worry, Way brothers are great in bed. Gee's a power-bottom, so I'm guessing Mike's something like that," Frank added, and Pete decided that he liked Frank; he was funny. Gerard and Mikey blushed fiercely, and Gee punched Frank's arm. 

 

"I'm not a bottom... Not really, not completely," Mikey said under his breath. Pete smiled and brought Mikey over to Dallon again. 

 

The group had a great time socializing and eating sushi. Pete enjoyed meeting everyone and bragging about Mikey. Mikey liked being dragged around by a grown man that was about as tall as a sixth grader. 

 

They all stayed there for some time, and Pete mostly spent all his time with Ryan and Mikey. As usual, Brendon forgot about Ryan's existence. Plus, Ryan seemed pretty sour about the whole thing. "Such a fuck boy. He's always getting laid, I don't know why we have to celebrate it," he complained, and Pete shrugged. "Man, let him be happy for himself. Last I heard, he was calling Sarah 'Bumble Bug,' so sex is really a big step," Pete countered, and Ryan shut up after that.

 

Mikey said that he had to get home, and Pete grumpily complied. "I have to take this bum back," Pete told Brendon on his way to the car, and Brendon wished them safe travels. "I have a nice bum," Mikey said as they walked off. They congratulated him once more and left. 

 

"Why are you the one that's always driving?" Mikey asked, buckling his seatbelt. "Always? Boy, I've known you for like two days. Cut me some slack," Pete replied, and Mikey chuckled. He pulled out of the parking lot and began driving down the road. He decided to move things along and place his right hand on Mikey's, which was resting on the center console. "Damn, why are you moving so fast?" Mikey asked, but didn't pull away. Pete shrugged and looked out his window for a split second. "Why not?" he asked back, and Mikey smiled.

 

The drive wasn't silent, but there were no awkward silences to be filled. The silences were comfortable and almost warm, which Pete appreciated.

 

Once he reached Mikey's house, Pete kissed his new boyfriend's hand. "Have a great night, okay?" Pete said gently, and Mikey smirked. "And you, good sir," he said, and then leaned through the window of the door he had just shut. He was just tall enough to kiss Pete, and Pete went silent and bright red. Mikey giggled and walked off, waving as he walked up the driveway. Pete gently ghosted his lips with his fingers, and began to smile widely. 

 

He began the drive back home.

 

-

 

"He kissed me, y'know," Pete told his mom. She called every Saturday, and it was about ten o'clock. Pete had told her everything about Mikey, and she was a little concerned with how fast things were going. "You don't know much about this kid, Petey. It's been two days," she argued, but Pete disagreed. "We talked a lot in the park," he countered, and after a few minutes of listening to his mom rant about dating safety, he hung up and fell backwards onto the couch. In that moment, Ryan and Brendon arrived home. "Pete, please draw a bath and get some wet cloths," Ryan instructed, and Pete looked up at him, confused.

 

To Pete's alarm, Brendon was limping, his arm draped around Ryan's shoulders. His nose was bleeding, his lip was busted, and his cheek was badly bruised. "Holy shit man, what happened to you?" Pete asked as he scrambled to his feet, rushing to run some bath water and get some wet towels. 

 

"Got jumped or something," Ryan said, and Brendon nodded. "I was coming out of th' sushi place, and all of a sudden, this dude was on me. Luckily, Ryan knocked him out and stuff, but he beat me up pretty good, huh? You should seen Ry though," he said, and Pete thought he saw Ryan blush. Brendon gently removed his shirt and pants, and also his underwear. Ryan helped him into the tub, and Pete passed Ryan some towels. 

 

Ryan wiped the dried blood from Brendon's nose, and Brendon stared at him. "You have pretty eyes," he commented, and Ryan smiled weakly. "I'll get something for your foot and call the hospital later. We'll get your ankle checked out," Ryan said as he cleaned Brendon's lip, and Brendon nodded. Pete observed the scene. The way Ryan looked at Brendon, the way Brendon looked back... "This is too gay for me, okay, I'm out," Pete said with a chuckle, standing up and exiting the bathroom. 

 

Ryan picked up a bottle of conditioner and threw it at Pete as he left the bathroom, and Brendon laughed. Pete loved nights like these, where Ryan was over and Brendon wasn't depending on Sarah for all his happiness. 

 

Everything seemed pretty great, and Brendon's ankle really didn't matter in that moment.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

"I have a huge problem," Mikey slurred over the phone, and Pete held the phone between his ear and his shoulder. He was trying to wrap Brendon's ankle as the doctor had instructed, but was failing miserably. It turns out that his ankle was twisted pretty badly, but he had also cut it on a broken piece of a lamp post that was lying on the ground, so there was a huge gash on his ankle. Brendon sucked in his breath as Pete messed up yet again. He _knew_ how to wrap it; he watched the doctor as he taught him and Ryan how to do it. For some reason, his brain wouldn't cooperate with his hands. 

 

As he made a sixth attempt at wrapping Brendon's ankle, he blew a piece of his hair out d his face. "What's that?" Pete asked, worried. He didn't need to deal with two cripples. Mikey hesitated, and then said, "I fucked my hair up." Pete began laughing, almost dropping the phone. He picked up Brendon's ankle tenderly and was finally able to do it correctly. "How'd that happen you clutz?" he asked, and Mikey sighed. 

 

"There was another piece of gum in my hair that you forgot about, and I cut it out. For some reason, the piece of hair refused to stick down, so I cut it even shorter. Then, I tried to even out my hair. Nothing's even, nothing's sticking down like I want it to!" he complained, exasperated. Pete laughed again and set Brendon's ankle down, tapping Brendon's thigh and standing back up.

 

He continued talking to Mikey, begging him to send a picture. Mikey was too embarrassed, so Pete said that he was on his way to Mikey's house. "Don't you have church or something?" Mikey asked, remembering that it was Sunday. Pete scoffed at that. "The only church around here is full of white people that would throw me out the moment I stepped in. Too gay for God," Pete explained, taking a water bottle out of the fridge, "Besides, I have work tomorrow. I wanna spend the day with you." 

 

Mikey eventually agreed to letting Pete come over, and as soon as those words left his mouth, Pete was running out the door.

 

"Brendon, invite someone over. You look pathetic sitting on the couch and watching..." Pete began, grabbing a coach. He looked at the television and couldn't tell what Brendon was watching. He didn't care either.

 

-

 

Mikey made an honest attempt to hide his hair. He pulled a beanie over his head, and then put on two hoodies. However, Pete got all three coverings off of his head, and Mikey's unevenly cut hair was exposed. 

 

For ten minutes straight, Pete couldn't stop laughing. He pulled at Mikey's hair and imagined Mikey frantically chopping at his hair with a pair of baby scissors. "It's not funny!" Mikey fumed, shoving Pete off of the couch. Pete hit the ground with a thud, but continued laughing. "Oh man! You l-look like a Chia Pet!" Pete managed, clutching his chest and trying to breathe. 

 

Mikey stuck his nose up at his boyfriend, kicking him. "You're a dick," he commented, and Pete's laughter died down eventually. "Hey," Pete replied, out of breath, "you are what you eat." Mikey tried not to laugh, but he did. 

 

"Hmm... Maybe you can make it work. The beanie didn't look half bad. Maybe if you wear that and your big-ass glasses, it'll look like you're going for hippie. Which you are. You're a hippie," Pete remarked, and Mikey rolled his eyes. "I don't smoke," he grumbled, and quickly added, "Pot. I don't smoke pot." Pete raised his eyebrows and stood up, rubbing his back. "Dude, that hurt my ass. Kiss my boo-boo?" he asked and smirked at Mikey, who shoved him away. "Childish."

 

The two spent the whole day watching Star Wars, which Mikey adored. He owned so much merch, and Pete didn't understand half of it. "Can't believe you've never seen it," Mikey screamed when he asked Pete about it. He then threw some VHS tapes onto the ground, picking up one of them and inserting it into his ancient VHS player. 

 

They ordered pizza for dinner when the time came, and when the delivery guy showed up, they took the pizza, paid for it, and shared it. 

 

It was a great day to say the least. 

 

"I'm having a great time," Pete said quietly, chewing some pizza. Mikey smiled and kissed Pete. "Any time I spend with you is great. Now shut up and eat."

 

-

 

Pete ended up staying the night. He fell asleep around eight, and awoke when Mikey jerked him awake. "Don't fall asleep on me. You need to brush your teeth," he complained, and Pete moaned, climbing to his feet and grabbing his keys. Mikey shot up and grabbed Pete's hand. "N-no, you can stay here! Don't go," he begged, and Pete rubbed his eyes, still a little groggy. "I have work," he said, and Mikey frowned. "Please," he asked, and Pete gave in.

 

Luckily, Mikey had twenty toothbrushes under his cabinet, so he let Pete use one. "This one's gonna be yours. Like, for when you come over," Mikey informed Pete, holding up a yellow and white toothbrush. He borrowed Mikey's toothpaste and some floss and some mouthwash as well. "Damn, why is it so spicy?" Pete asked, spitting the mouthwash out quickly. Mikey laughed and wiped off Pete's mouth. 

 

Pete also borrowed Mikey's pajamas. Since he was like three feet shorter than Mikey, the clothes were baggy and long. He didn't mind of course. 

 

Once he had thrown on a huge sweater and pulled on some sagging sweatpants, Pete decided to call Brendon and check up on him. "You okay?" he asked as soon as Brendon picked up the phone. Brendon hesitated, but replied, "Yeah. I'm fine. R-Ryan's over here." Pete thought that Brendon sounded kind of wound up. 

 

"Can I talk to Ryan?" Pete asked slowly. "Call him for yourself," Brendon countered, and hung up. 

 

Pete stared blankly at the phone screen. Why was Brendon so salty? He found Ryan's contact name and called him. Ryan picked up immediately, and it sounded like he was... crying? "Pete," Ryan said tightly, "I fucked up." Pete looked over his shoulder to see Mikey staring at him. "Wh... What happened?" Pete asked, shrugging at Mikey. 

 

"I kissed him."

 

Pete didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. He just sat there and listened to Ryan ramble on and on about how he didn't mean to and how it had just happened. "I was getting another band-aid for his cut thing on his face and it just... He was talking about how he was so thankful for me and how no one else ever cared about him like I did. I mean, he said you cared for him, but in a different way... Oh Pete, I don't know what to do. I kind of just stared at him and then it just happened! He pushed me back so quickly and started screaming, and I still just stared at him. 

 

"I don't know what to do," Ryan finished, on the verge of tears. Pete tried to say something, but the words didn't come out. "Ryan," he finally managed, and Ryan sniffled. "He looked so mad," Ryan whispered. "So surprised. So... disgusted." Pete frowned and bit the inside of his cheek. "You know B, he'll get over it," Pete tried, and Ryan sighed loudly. "No, you don't get it. He won't get over that. I tried explaining myself. He was yelling about how he had just had sex with his girlfriend and how I wasn't ever happy for them. I tried saying that it just happened and that I liked him too but I knew that it would never happen. 'Then why did you kiss me?' he had replied, and I just sighed, kind of cowering. I just walked away and said that I was going to sleep." 

 

Pete rubbed his temple. "I don't know what to tell you. I get it... It just happened. You couldn't stop yourself. Love does that to people. Maybe if you find someone else, you won't be so caught up in someone that won't ever love you back the same way you love them. You know that he's with Sarah. You know that they aren't going to last. It's going to be okay. As soon as they break up, he'll come running back to you. I'm staying at Mikey's. Tell Brendon for me. Tell him he has work tomorrow," he advised, and then hung up. 

 

Mikey was right behind Pete when he hung up, looking confused and concerned. "Everything okay?" he asked, and Pete shrugged. "Not really. Ryan kissed Brendon, and Brendon's being a bitch about it. Don't know why... Ryan's a really good kisser," he joked, and Mikey shoved him. "Brendon'll get over it. In the meantime, I promise I'm a better kisser than Ryan," he said suggestively, and Pete raised his eyebrows. "You sure? Ryan is a prize-winning kazoo player. He won first place at the state fair's kazoo contest," he stated, and Mikey laughed, dragging Pete to his bedroom. "You need to get to bed child," he said, and Pete shook his head.

 

"Too early. Cuddle with me," he pleaded, and Mikey shoved him onto the bed. "Fine, but only if you make out with me first."

 

Long story short, Mikey was a way better kisser than Ryan. They kissed for a while, until Pete's lips were sore. "Blowing that whistle is good exercise, huh?" Mikey said at one point, to which Pete replied, "I'll be blowing something else soon."

 

-

 

The two spent the rest of the night asking each other questions, which led to gossip. "Yeah, Gee and his boyfriend are pretty freaky, if you know what I mean," Mikey told Pete, who was surprised. "Sweet, innocent Gerard. Our parents would be so disappointed to be honest. Good thing they don't ask about that part of our lives. Yeah, sometimes I swear that Gerard has a daddy kink. I've heard him and Frank talk, and he's called Frank his daddy at least twice around me. I have seen a few collars lying around Frank's house. I don't know if they belong to one of his millions of dogs or not, but I do know that he and Gerard are perfect together. They live together too. I've always been jealous of him to be real."

 

"How come?" Pete asked, and Mikey let out a breath. "Gee's always been more talented than me. I mean sure, I can sure play bass way better than him. I can pull of glasses, he can't. I can balance a spoon on my nose too. I didn't go through a fat phase, because I've always been naturally thin. Anyways, he's just more charismatic than me. His voice is super cute. Lots of people like him. He's had lots of boyfriends, and I haven't. He's always getting invited to things, even if he doesn't ever go to those things. He does have pretty bad anxiety. But he's gotten over a lot of bad things that have gone on in his life. He's also really good at drawing. Went to school for it," he said dreamily, pulling the covers up a little bit. 

 

Pete took all of that in, and then placed his hand on Mikey's leg. "Hey. Gerard is great in his own ways. But that's the thing about siblings. One has strengths the other doesn't. One has weaknesses that stops them from seeing their strengths, and the other may suffer from the same problem. You're letting all the things he's done get to you, but you don't see how many things you can do that he can't. I think that you have a lot of things that make you Michael James Way. You're a wonderful, selfless person. Do me a favor and see what a beautiful person you are. Besides, Gerard doesn't like noodles. He told me the other day," Pete commented, and Mikey laughed. "Thanks for that. I'm surprised mom and dad didn't disown him; we had some type of noodle dish every night back in elementary school."

 

It was half past eleven, so Pete decided to get some sleep. He kissed Mikey once more and then rolled over. "Night deary," he cooed, and Mikey smiled. "G'night, love." 

 

And that was a day that Pete would remember forever.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yiKES 
> 
> BEEN A WHILE BUT
> 
> IG THERE'S SOME NSFW IN THIS CHAPTER, BUT NEXT CHAPTER'S GONNA BE HNG
> 
> ty ty for reading ik this sucks but o well 
> 
> xofaith

Work.

 

As he stood in the middle of the street, Pete realized that it had been forever since he had gone to work. At least it felt that way. Many of Pete's days just went by forgotten, though technically he hardly ever forgot anything. Pete decided that his memory was more of a curse than a blessing, though that had to do with the fact that he could never shut his mind off. Between his ADHD, the photographic memory, and the OCD, Pete found it impossible to keep his brain quiet for two seconds.

 

Pete blew into his whistle as a car sped by him. "Jack-ass," he said out of the side of his mouth, holding the whistle between his teeth. Pete allowed his mind to wander back to Brendon and Ryan, specifically to their awkward romantic encounter. As much as Pete wanted to believe otherwise, Brendon and Sarah probably wouldn't last long. In his opinion, Sarah didn't love Brendon as much as he loved her. However, Brendon would stay with Sarah. No, Pete didn't think they'd last long, but if they ended up staying together, he knew they'd get married some day. 

 

That would leave Ryan by himself. 

 

Pete understood the importance of love and the concept of true love, and if he was completely honest with himself, he knew Ryan would never find anyone better than Brendon. Well, better than Brendon in a sense that he'd never love anyone more than he loved Brendon. Yeah, Brendon wasn't the greatest person, but Ryan stuck around and wouldn't ever leave. He'd always come running back, as Brendon would to him. 

 

"Hey cutie," Pete heard from his left, and looking over, he saw Mikey. He smiled and tried to pay attention to traffic as well as to his boyfriend. "What are you doing here?" he asked, holding up a hand to the cars across from the crosswalk. "Just wanted to visit. Besides, my friends work over here, and I haven't visited them in a while," Mikey explained, kissing Pete on the cheek. Pete told Mikey to hurry up and get a move on, and he did. 

 

But not before slapping Pete's ass and whistling at him.

 

"That's sexual harassment sir," Pete called after him, receiving a few concerned looks from commuters. Pete turned back to traffic and continued directing it.

 

-

 

"I feel like a really awful person Pete," Brendon said over dinner, shoving a spoonful of soup into his mouth. Pete looked up at him and took a sip of water. "How come? Does this happen to have anything to do with the whole Ryan thing?" he replied, and Brendon sighed. 

 

He hesitated for a moment, and then admitted, "He really did seem sincere. I mean, yes, I suppose I knew he liked me. And maybe some part of me likes him too, but I'm with Sarah. He can't just kiss me like that when he _knows_ that I'm in a relationship. The moment was a little heated I guess. I was telling him about how much I appreciate him, how much I enjoyed his company..." He drifted off a bit and looked down into his bowl. 

 

Pete nodded and set down his glass. "What if you're dating Sarah as a way of getting closer to Ryan?" he asked, and Brendon furrowed his brows. "Huh?" 

 

"Well, Ryan has always liked you. However, ever since you've gotten a girlfriend, his interest in you seems to have increased. He feels incredibly bad about it. What if you enjoy seeing him feel bad about liking you? You know he likes you, you spewed this long speech about how much he means to you, he kisses you, and you blow up. That doesn't make sense B," Pete commented, and Brendon shook his head. "That's not possible. Why would I do that?"

 

His friend shrugged, and there was a knock at the door. Brendon went to stand up, and then realized that his foot was injured. Pete grunted and stood up. 

 

He walked to the door and unlocked it, opening it to reveal Ryan's guilty-looking face. "We were just talking about you," Pete said with a smile, grabbing Ryan's wrist and tugging him into the apartment. Ryan tried to say something, a stuttering mess. He tried pulling away from Pete, but Pete was a lot stronger than he looked. 

 

Brendon looked up from his meal and straight at Ryan, quite a bit of soup still in his mouth. Just then, Pete's phone began to ring. He took it out of his pocket, letting go of Ryan's arm. "Yeah?" Pete asked, trying to fake a quick conversation before he made a run for it. "What's that? Your kitchen's on fire? I'll be right there," he rushed, feigning an apologetic look. "Sorry, gotta go. You two have fun. Ry, there's some extra soup in the pot on the stove. Oh, Brendon said he'd get you some," Pete added with a smile, shooting Brendon a look, and then he made a dash for the door. 

 

Ryan quickly turned around and meant to follow Pete, but Brendon called after him, causing him to stop dead in his tracks.

 

Pete grabbed his coat and keys before leaving his home, and he took out his phone to call Mikey back.

 

"What was that about?" he asked, concerned. "Don't worry, I just fixed a relationship," Pete replied, opening his car door, "Whatcha need? I know what I need." Mikey was confused, but decided not to ask any questions. "What do _you_ need then?" he asked, and Pete said, "A reason to leave Ryan and Brendon alone."

 

"Perfect, because I was about to give you one. I want you to come over again because I'm clingy and love you. Besides, I got a box of cake mix at the store today, and it's not gonna bake itself," Mikey explained, and Pete started his car. 

 

"Say no more."

 

-

 

Ryan and Brendon were about fifteen feet apart, with Ryan standing awkwardly and Brendon half-standing and half-sitting. The sudden pressure on his ankle caused him to wince and sit back down. Ryan quickly stepped forward to help, but stopped himself. "Sorry," he whispered, more to himself than to Brendon.

 

"Ryan," Brendon, tried, but he couldn't form an apology. However, Ryan was full of them. "Brendon, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you. I have no idea why I thought that you'd let me, or why I thought I could just kiss you without you reacting this way. I don't deserve you. In fact, I don't think that I deserve anyone. Yes, I love you, but I obviously don't have enough self-control to be in any kind of relationship. You're right, I'm never happy for you and Sarah, because I'm too busy wishing I were her. You're so happy with her, and I never get to see you like that. I'm jealous, but that doesn't mean I get to just..." Ryan took in a breath, and Brendon filled the silence with his own voice.

 

"No, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have reacted that way either. You're the most caring person I've ever met, including Sarah. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I'm a complete jerk. I'm so fake to be honest, for reasons that I, um, won't expose," he said, remembering what Pete had said, "Yeah, but I had no right to yell at you for something that I knew was going to happen sooner or later. You're right, I'm dating Sarah. I love her, maybe more than she loves me, but I'm not leaving her right now. You kissing me shouldn't ruin our friendship, and it doesn't make you any lesser of a person in my eyes. In fact, you're not that bad of a kisser. Or so I've heard, I don't know." Ryan smiled a little bit, then a lot, and then he started laughing.

 

He had realized that he'd never stop liking Brendon. It didn't matter who he dated in the future; he'd always like Brendon more. But having his friend back was much more important to him. 

 

-

 

"Y-you're not even helping," Pete tried to say, but Mikey was making it awfully difficult to bake. Mikey just made suggestive jokes and left hickeys all over Pete's neck as Pete tried to bake a cake. "Mm, I think I am," he said, kissing Pete's cheek and smiling. He leaned against the counter and watched Pete blush and combine the ingredients. "You're blushing," Mikey commented, and Pete scowled at him. "If you don't shut up, I'm gonna do something that you'll regret causing," he threatened, and Mikey chuckled. 

 

"What's the worst you can do, short-stack?" he countered. 

 

Pete set down the spatula forcefully, grabbing Mikey's hand and tugging him down from the counter roughly. These actions were followed by Pete shoving Mikey against the fridge, staring straight up at him. "I said to stop," Pete said, though he almost laughed. Mikey raised his eyebrows. "Kinky," he whispered, and Pete let go of his hand immediately. "I'm trying to bake, you twat," he retorted, returning to the mixing bowl. He continued mixing the ingredients together, but Mikey continued bothering him. 

 

When he finished mixing, Pete sprayed a cake pan with some nonstick spray and poured the cake batter into the pan. He placed the spatula in his mouth, and though it's never a great idea, he ate the batter that was on it. "Yeah Pete, shove that spatula in your mouth," Mikey said, setting a timer for the cake and placing the cake in the oven. 

 

"If you're not careful, I'll be shoving other things in my mouth too," Pete said around the spatula, but it was hard to understand him. "You're always saying these types of things, but we've only gotten to second base." Mikey finally said. Pete took the spatula out of his mouth and set it in the sink. He turned to face Mikey and replied, "I've never been that great at baseball."

 

"Or oral sex apparently."

 

A bit offended, Pete crossed his arms. "Oh really? I bet I'm better than you." Mikey realized that he had finally gotten to Pete. "How much would you bet on that?" 

 

Pete quickly glanced at the timer. "I have about thirty minutes to prove it."

 

Mikey felt his heart skip a beat. "You're gonna burn the cake," he said breathlessly, and Pete pushed him against one of the counters. "I told you, I have thirty minutes. That's plenty of time. Let's see if I can hit a home-run by the time we go to bed," he said with a smirk, kneeling on the kitchen floor. Mikey swallowed hard and grabbed onto the countertop. "O-okay," was all he managed to say. 

 

Pete chuckled and unbuttoned Mikey's pants, pulling them down. He wanted to laugh at the fact that Mikey's legs were already shaking, but he kept it to himself. Pete tried to remember all of the blowjob techniques he had collected over his time of watching a shit ton of porn, which wasn't too hard. He knew how to work his mouth. 

 

"You're such a nerd," Pete noted as he pulled down Mikey's Star Wars underwear. "In my defense, I didn't have any other clean ones," Mikey replied, laughing. Pete smiled and rolled his eyes, hooking his thumbs around the loopholes of Mikey's pants. 

 

Of course he took time to admire Mikey's dick. He liked the fact that it wasn't fucking huge, that it wasn't incredibly thick, and that it wasn't necessarily small either. "Nice," Pete said, more to himself than to Mikey, but Mikey definitely heard that, and that comment didn't help his shaking issue.

 

Pete tried to get to work, but teasing Mikey definitely brought him some form of weird pleasure.

 

"You're going to run out of time if y-you keep it up," Mikey choked out, gripping the counter so tightly that his knuckles began to turn pink. 

 

"Please, I can make you cum in under ten minutes if you stop complaining," Pete suggested, and Mikey bit his lip. "Alright."

 

**Author's Note:**

> yes hello it's your author here. it's been a l o n g time but y'know what I'm back and writing. I hope you're liking this so far um yeah so leave a comment lemme know and I'm a slut for kudos so leave one of those
> 
> k thanks bye
> 
> xofaith


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